Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-12-15
Blaine on the Presidents MESSAGE.

biOho "a buO ihlclfithGIs
II have been reading an abstract OF
the Presidents message and have been
especially interested in the comments
of the London papers. These papers
all assume to declare the message is a
free trade manifesto and evidently are
anticipating an enlarged market for
English fabrics in the United States as
a consequence of the Presidents rec
concentrations. Perhaps that fact
stamped the character of the message
more clearly than any words of mine
can.
1.-The President has recommended
what in the United States is known as a
revenue tariff, rejecting the protective
feature as an object, and not even per-
hitting protection to result freely as an
incident to revenue duties.
''For the first time in the history of
the United States the President recon-
mends retaining the internal tax 10 or
der that the tariff may be forced down
even below the fair revenue standard
de recommends that the tax on tobac-
co be retained. and thus that many
millions annually shall be levied on a
domestic product which would far bet
ter come from tariff on foreign
fabrics.
Mr.. Blaine said he would favor the
repeal of the tobacco tax, and thought
it should be done at once, even before
the Christmas holidays.
lit would bring great relief to grow
ers of tobacco all over the country, and
would materially lessen the price of the
article to consumers. Tobacco to mil
lions of men is q necessity. The Presi-
dent calls it luxury, but it is luxury
in no other sense than tea and coffee
are luxuries. 1t is well to remember
that the luxury of yesterday becomes
necessity of to-day. Watch, if you
please, tho number of men at work on
the farm, IN the coal mine, along the
railroad, 10 the iron foundry, or in any
calling and you will find 95 to 100 chew
ing as they work. After each meal the
same proportion seek the solace of a
pipe or cigar. These men not only pay
the millions OF the tobacco tax, but pay
on every plug and every cigar an en-
HANGED price which the tax enables the
manufacturer and retailer to impose.
The only excuse for such a tax is the
actual necessity under which the Gov
eminent found itself during the war
and the years Immediately following
TO retain the tax now IN order to des-
troy the protection which would incl
dentally flow from raising the same
amount of money on foreign imports
is certainly most extraordinary policy
for our government
Other considerations than those of
financial administration are to be taken
into account with regard to whiskey.
There is a moral side to
it. To cheaper the price
Of whiskey is to increase the CON
sumption enormously There would be
no sense in urging the reform wrought
by high license IN many states if the
National Government neutralizes the
good effect by making whskey within
the reach of every one at zoe a gallon.
Whiskey would be every where distilled
if tine surveillance of the government
were withdrawn by the remission of the
tax, and illicit sales could not then be
prevented even by policy as rigorous
and searching as that with which Rus
STA pursues the nihilists 1t would de-
stroy high license at once in all the
states.
''Whiskey has done a vast deal of
harm in the United States. l would
try to make it do some good. | would
use the tax to fortify our cities on the
seaboard. In view of the powerful let
ter ADDRESSED to the Democratic party on
the subject of fertilization by the late
CO i IN Il
that no attention has been paid to the
subject by the Democratic Admins
tration. Never before in the history of
the world has any government allowed
great cities on the seaboard, like Phil
adelphia, New York, Boston, Baltimore,
New Orleans and San Francisco to re-
main defenseless.
He said he did not look for war in
any direction, nor did Mr.. Tilden, prob
ably, when he wrote his remarkable
letter, but we should change remote
chance into an absolute impossibility il
our weak and exposed points were
strongly fortified. If to-day we had by any
chance even such war as we had with
Mexico, our enemy could procure iron
clads in Europe that would menace our
great cities with destruction, or lay them
under contribution. We don't neces-
sarily expect burglar because we lock
our doors at night, but if by any pos.
sibility 4 burglar comes 1t contributes
vastly to our peace of mind and oul
sound sleep to feel that he can't get in.
$50 long as there is whiskey to tax
would tax it, and when the National
Government should have no more use
for the money | would divide the tas
among the Federal Union with thu
specific object of tightening the tax or
real estate. The houses and farms OF
the whole country pay too large pro
portion of the total taxes. Ii ultimately
relief could be given in that direction i
would, in my Judgment, be wise anC
beneiicent policy. Some honest but mis-
guided friends of temperance have urged
that the government should not use til,
the money derived from the tax OF
whskey. My reply is that the tax or
whiskey by the Federal Government
with its suppression of all illicit distilla
ton and consequent enhancement o.
price, has been a powerful agent in tht
temperance reform by putting it beyoni
the reach Of so many. The amount Of
whiskey consumed in the United States
per capita to-day is not more than *
per cent of that consumed thirty year,
ago. The whiskey tax should be 81
modified as TO permit all who use pure
alcohol in the arts or mechanical pur
suits to have ii free of tax In all sucI
cases the tax could be omitted without
danger of fraud. Just as now the tar
on spirits exported is RENTED.
II should seriously object to the re
peal of the duty on wool, the repea
that would work great injustice K
many interests and would seriously dis
courage what we should earnestly Gu
courage namely, the sheep culture
among farmers throughout tn,
Union. To break down wool growing
and be dependent on foreign couutrie.
for the blanket under which we sleeI
and the coat that covers our backs is no
. wise policy for the National Govern
mont 20 enforce. II the President.
recommendation were adopted, it woulc
increase our export trade, possibly
in some few articles of peculiar con
struchon, but it would increase our i'm
port trade ten.fold as much in the grea
staple fabrics, in wooden aud cotto,
goods, in iron, in steel in all the thous
and and one shapes in which they ar,
wrought. How are we to export stapI,
fabrics to the markets OF Europe, and
how are we to manufacture them cheap
er than they do in Europe unless we ce
t,As fbf.y- I.